Marky Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 (edited) How do you deem "younger generation"? I'm in my 30s now, I've seen us play in the same league as Ayr for about 4 of my 25+ years going to RP. For the last 21 Ayr have been at least one (sometimes 2) league below us. Ww were poor in the mid 80s granted, however many of those who saw that spell (like my dad) also saw us be champions of Scotland, play in the European Cup, get to the Semi Final of European Competiion etc. I don't think you can compare Killie/Ayr to St Mirren/Morton. Neither St Mirren, nor Morton have had the same gap between them as we have had with Ayr over the past quarter of a century. I want Ayr to be good, I miss the derbies. There's guys on our bus who've never seen us play Ayr in the League. Aye you're just a whippersnapper SH . You make fair points tho'. I suppose my view is coloured slightly by the fact that during my formative years as a Buds fan (mid 70s to mid 80s) Killie didn't really figure for me at all. It is fair tho to say that you've had a pretty long gap between yourselves and Ayr for a very long time now. Surely tho there's a bit of potential there in a town the size of Ayr. I think the Inverness argument isn't really fair in the sense that relatively speaking they haven't got that long a history of league football. Edited December 23, 2014 by Marky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Maybe it all started with Gloryhunters? Ayr have never won anything, have they? Won a few lower league titles but nothing major. Wouldn't say it was gloryhunters, there's a lot of Killie fans in Saltcoats still. My local back home has more Killie fans in it than Celtic/Rangers which is not bad as it's quicker to get to Glasgow via public transport. Obviously under Burns etc there was a feel good factor which saw bigger away supports. Don't think anyone who supports Killie from Ayrshire can be called a gloryhunter! My Grandad was an Ayr fan, I had a lucky escape (he moved to Killie when he married my gran) and my dad grew up supporting his hometown team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Aye you're just a whippersnapper SH . You make fair points tho'. I suppose my view is coloured slightly by the fact that during my formative years as a Buds fan (mid 70s to mid 80s) Killie didn't really figure for me at all. It is fair tho to say that you've had a pretty long gap between yourselves and Ayr for a very long time now. Surely tho there's a bit of potential there in a town the size of Ayr. I think the Inverness argument isn't really fair in the sense that relatively speaking they haven't got that long a history of league football. Agreed with the Inverness point. Kilmarnock is more of a football town in my experience. Was more industrial, although that's changed over the years. I feel for Ayr fans as they have an even bigger problem with Old Firm fans in the town than Killie does. Ayr does have potential, the games against us always draw 10,000 ish, more if not on TV and at RP (Somerset has a limited capacity) It would be great for the SPL if they got promoted, as it is a proper derby. Last time we played them in the Scottish Cup there almost 12,000 at the replay, which was live on Sky on a Thursday night in January. The appetite is definately there. Was 25,000+ at Hampden for a lunchtime kick off in League Cup Semi two years back too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I remember going to Somerset for Ayr v Thistle games when Ally MacLeod was in charge - there was always a healthy home gate, which seems to have dwindled badly since those days (I know most clubs have suffered from that, but Ayr seem to be one of the clubs particularly badly hit). There's hardly a ba' hair between the towns in terms of population (although Ayr goes comfortably ahead if you include the adjoining Prestwick) but that's a bit simplistic. As Mr Humper has pointed out Kilmarnock have a much wider catchment area - the Three Towns, Irvine, Darvel, Newmilns, Galston, Mauchline etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 The old latrines in Swynecastle had to be seen to be believed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 The problem with Ayr is supporter apathy. The fans are so fed up with the mismanagement of the club and the board's lack of communication, marketing ability and to be honest common sense. It will take a very long time for the fans to get back. Crowds are down around 800 now, a few years ago it was regularly 1200+ and in the "glory days" under Bill Barr when we were paying guys like Pat McGinley 2k a week and challenging for the first division title we were getting 2500 most weeks. Looking back the money we pissed away during the Barr era was frightening, 40-50k on players that made 2 or 3 games then disappeared. Although we did make a decent bit on Gary Twake and Glynn Hurst when we sold them on. If we had a decent manager back then we would have won that league and would have been forced to build a new ground! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunchy Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I'd also say Killie have a bigger support (both active and dormant) throughout North Ayrshire and other parts of Ayrshire. For example there was 3 seperate supporters clubs in Saltcoats/Ardrossan for Killie in the mid 90s (only one now). I've never known an Ayr bus leave from there. I remember the 2 that went from the vic in Saltcoats where was the other one based. Had some great times going from the vic there was a great spirit in the crowd that went from the vic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Billy Stark was mentioned in one of the papers as being Ayr's potential new manager. Would that be more his level ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 (edited) I remember the 2 that went from the vic in Saltcoats where was the other one based. Had some great times going from the vic there was a great spirit in the crowd that went from the vicThere was briefly 3 all from Vic. Ardrossan and District Saltcoats And one called Montys Bar. That only last a season or so. I went on Ardrossan every away for years. Went on Saltcoats a couple of times too. Vic still runs to most aways except Aberdeen/Inverness/County. I stay in Glasgow so get picked up by Burns Bus. Edited December 23, 2014 by Squirrelhumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlyscot Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 "Totten totten show us your scarf" happy days . Soapdodgers of the world unite in your shithole! Indeed. Some Saints support down the day we won the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunchy Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 There was briefly 3 all from Vic. Ardrossan and District Saltcoats And one called Montys Bar. That only last a season or so. I went on Ardrossan every away for years. Went on Saltcoats a couple of times too. Vic still runs to most aways except Aberdeen/Inverness/County. I stay in Glasgow so get picked up by Burns Bus. So you will remember the rebel without a clue mccool lol. Used to get the bus with Garry lambert and busby if you remember them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Still see Busby in Portmann before games. McCool sits few rows in front of me in East Stand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunchy Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Still see Busby in Portmann before games. McCool sits few rows in front of me in East Stand! You got my sympathy sitting near mccool lol. If you were going from the vic around the time we got promoted to the premier then I would have met you. Didn't make it every week ( was away at college) but when ever I was home I would go to the game no matter who we were playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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